Sinking Ships

Chapter Nineteen

            Nineteen

        “Oh my god.”

            Despite Kelsey’s detachment from Eve, she’s rushed beside me, sobbing and screaming at the scene in front of us. Everyone in the intersection is still frozen, unable to move from the shock of witnessing what just happened.

            Kelsey reaches out and places her hand on my shoulder. The moment her fingers touch my black t-shirt, I snap out of this daze. I take off sprinting towards the intersection. I run faster than I ever have before. Faster than when I wanted to kill the kid who Kelsey cheated on me with; faster than when Kelsey OD’d and even faster than when the cops have chased me.

            This is my fault. It might seem silly; that I someone caused a car accident, but it’s true. If I never hurt Eve, she wouldn’t be in that car, possibly-

            I stop myself as soon as the thought crosses my mind and go back to how this is for me to blame. If I never did meth; if I never got twisted in the horrible drug with Kelsey, I might have never met Eve. And even if I did, I would never have hurt her like this. Instead things would be okay, and she wouldn’t be in the overturned car I’m rushing towards.

            I feel like I get there too late. I slow when I reach the back taillights that are no longer lit up. I don’t check the truck to see if the people inside are okay; I don’t really care. My whole body is shaking as I stop beside the passenger window. With trembling hands, I lower myself onto the pavement and swallow the lump in my throat. It’s hard to see through the tears as I tilt my head to the left, ready to see whatever is waiting for me.

            Eve is hanging upside down. For some reason, my brain thought that she would be sitting in her car right side up, the tires on the ground and be perfectly fine. Despite my hand resting beside one of those overturned tires, I still can’t comprehend what I’m staring at.

            Her dark hair hangs like a veil, falling in front of her face. I see blood matted in the strands but that’s not what I’m stuck on. Instead of hanging limply, Eve’s arms are caught. One is twisted in the seatbelt, like she grasped for her heart when she had impact and the other is caught beside the smashed in metal of the door.

            With a pale hand I reach towards her hair. The second my fingertips reach the strands something cold shoots through me and it’s like I know. I can’t explain it; but I already know the answer I’m searching for. My brain fights the answer; telling me the opposite but this feeling in my gut; my heart, is telling me the truth.

            Eve’s eyes are closed. She looks peaceful, like she’s sleeping beside me in my bed like she had done before. She would look beautiful; so calm and peaceful if it wasn’t for the gash in her forehead, dripping blood down her white face.

            Its football shaped and something shiny that shouldn’t be there is poking its head out. It catches the light and sparkles, looking almost like its glistening. Blood oozes out of the bottom of the wound, flowing rapidly down the side of her cheek.

            “Eve,” I gasp, my fingers dropping her hair. My hand brushes her skin and I feel like inside I’m dying. A pain I didn’t know could exist starts tearing away my insides, breaking me apart piece by piece. Tears I didn’t know were there start dripping down my face and before I know it, strong arms are being wrapped around my waist and pulling me out of the vehicle.

            The fireman are talking to me as they drag me away. I’m too shocked to move or even think about putting my weight on my feet. My eyes stay glued to the car, watching as police officers and paramedics remove Eve’s lifeless body from the car.

            “Fallon,” Kelsey sobs, leaning her head on my shoulder.

            Suddenly, I’m blinking, completely unaware of how I got back to the edge of Eve’s driveway. Officers, fireman and paramedics are rushing down the street and around the scene of the accident, their sirens blaring widely.

            Kelsey adjusts the blanket around my shoulders that I didn’t know I had. I’m so dazed that I can’t fathom how a blanket is supposed to make me feel secure. The girl’s heart I just broke is dead.

            They’re trying to revive her but she’s dead.

            They’re trying to breathe air into her lungs but she’s dead.

            They’re putting a white sheet over her on the pavement because she’s dead.